Bond 24: Guardians of the Galaxy's Dave Bautista to Play Henchman Hinx

Dave Bautista at the Guardians of the Galaxy premiere and Daniel Craig as Bond in Casino Royale(Reuters / Sony)

Some time ago it was revealed that the folks behind next year's 24th James Bond film were on the lookout for an iconic, physically imposing henchman in the style of Jaws and Oddjob, and now it appears they've found their man.

Latino Review claims that wrestler and Guardians of the Galaxy star Dave Bautista has bagged the role and will go toe to toe with Daniel Craig's 007 in Sam Mendes' second consecutive Bond film.

Casting directors were on the hunt for a male aged 30-45 for the part of "Hinx".

"Ideally over 6"2'. Hinx is the main henchman/assassin. We are looking for an imposing extremely physically fit actor. He has several fights with Bond and will have to have stunt training. He has to drive. We are looking for someone very unusual, possibly from a sports background."

Bautista certainly fits the bill nicely and is more than deserving of such a part. He was – to the surprise of many – one of the best things about this year's Marvel smash-hit. In Guardians of the Galaxy he played Drax, another physically imposing fighter but one with a well-hidden heart of gold.

Hinx probably won't have that same heart of gold, so it'll be nice to see Bautista in a villainous role. Craig is certainly going to need to start working out if he wants to stand a chance against the former WWE Champion.